Liam Payne 'smoked heroin and sexted fans': Bombshell revelations as ex-fiancee breaks silence on star's death
11 February 2025, 19:49
Liam Payne's former fiancee has revealed the extent of his struggle with serious drug abuse, months after the One Direction star's death in Argentina.
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Maya Henry said that Payne had smoked heroin, sexted with fans and struggled with his identity during their relationship.
The One Direction star died aged 31 on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel.
Payne and Henry were together from 2019 and got engaged in 2020. They split up in 2021 before getting engaged again later that year. They ended their relationship a second and last time in May 2022.
Henry, 25, told Rolling Stone magazine that "it was the drug use and addictions that tore us apart."
She added in a statement: "Anyone who has been with an addict understands how difficult that is.
"While I loved him deeply, he did things that hurt me in ways I'll never fully understand, and he continued to hurt me years after we broke up."
Henry was criticised unfairly by fans after Payne's death, as it emerged that she had taken legal steps to prevent him contacting her. She said he had been bombarding her with messages, including from different phone numbers.
A source close to the singer said: "It was normal for Liam to do cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, and pharmaceutical pills (Xanax and pain pills). Then he got into smoking heroin."
He was "seeking out drugs, sexting fans, and hiring sex workers," according to the source.
Henry added: "'I knew there were parts of himself he was struggling with — parts of his identity he wasn't ready to fully face, even within our relationship."
At the time of his death, Payne had been staying in Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy, who flew back to America shortly before he died.
In one of Cassidy's only interviews since the star's death, she revealed last week: "I had a responsibility, we had a responsibility.
She went on to share: "We had our dog and obviously I never, ever thought this event would occur."
"It was a tragic accident and no, I never did think (he might die young). But, you know, we did have our own separate lives - this wasn't the first time we have travelled separately.
"I just never thought this would have happened, that it would turn out the way it did."
It comes as Miss Cassidy reflected on the moment she learned of the singer's death, adding: "it still doesn't feel fully real for me that he's not here".
Speaking to The Sun, she said: "Love is so optimistic, and you just hope that everything will work out at the end.
"Obviously if I knew, if I could see into the future, I would never have left Argentina."
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Payne's death prompted vigils across the globe and the star was recently remembered during the In Memoriam segment of the Grammy Awards.
"It still doesn't feel fully real for me that he's not here", Cassidy added.
"I'm trying to be the best I can be, but I feel like my life has changed so much. I think about Liam every second of every day.
"From the moment I met Liam, I genuinely believed we were soulmates; he was the most humble, charming, normal person you could ever hope to come across, and genuinely one of the best people I've ever met in my life.
"That he won't be there with me to navigate through this life, that I'll have to deal with this without him by my side... it's really hard.
"You don't think about the worst possible thing that can happen."
On the moment she heard of Liam's death, she said: "I feel blessed I didn't find out over social media because I just couldn't even imagine that. I was in our home with our dog, scrolling TikTok and one of Liam's friends called me.
"That moment, it's like blank; it's blacked out in my head.
"I didn't believe it at first. I thought it was just a rumour. Or something that somebody made up just to get views.
"Then instantly I just had a bad feeling in my gut. I was like, 'Why would somebody make this up? Is this true?'
"And I feel like I just completely blacked out. When I officially found the news out to be true, I felt numb. I tried to call him. I called pretty much everybody.
"Then I was in touch with his family, and my mum got the first flight out to be with me. I remember pacing around the house - poor Nala (her dog) thought I was trying to play, she kept jumping up at me. I didn't sleep at all that night."
She added: "Liam was in such a good headspace when I left Argentina.
"We were in such a great place, just full of love; he was so happy and positive. And I just can't even believe the way things truly ended.
"It's genuinely insane to me how things can just be taken away from you so quickly in life, you never truly know what tomorrow will bring, you never know."
Five people have been charged in Argentina in connection with the death, three with manslaughter and two with supplying cocaine.
The British musician died from "polytrauma", meaning multiple traumatic injuries.
Payne's funeral, held in November in Buckinghamshire, was attended by Cheryl, the mother of his son Bear, and fellow One Direction stars Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, along with his family and friends.
After his band went on hiatus he launched a successful solo career, releasing his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019, which included the songs Polaroid and Strip That Down featuring Quavo, as well as the track For You with Rita Ora.
